Receiving signals on a channel used for traffic and access in a communications system

• US 7,729,316 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2002
• Issued: 06/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Uhlik, Christopher R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sam; Phirin
• Application Number:
  US10/262,431
• Publication Number:
  US 20040062226A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,801 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/334
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0814 based on current reception conditions, e.g. switching to different antenna when signal level is below threshold
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/008 with additional processing of random access related information at receiving side
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/0833 Random access procedures, e.g. with 4-step access

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention can be used to efficiently receive access control and traffic information. In one embodiment, the invention includes receiving a signal at a radio in a timeslot on a carrier using a plurality of antenna elements, the signal including an access control burst from a first remote radio and a traffic burst from a second remote radio, the traffic burst being part of an existing logical connection between the radio and the second remote radio. The access control burst and the traffic burst can then be extracted using spatial processing.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a signal at a radio in a timeslot on a carrier using a plurality of antenna elements, the signal including an access control burst from a first remote radio and a traffic burst from a second remote radio, the traffic burst being part of an existing logical connection between the radio and the second remote radio, wherein the access control burst comprises a random access burst, the random access burst being a request to establish the logical connection between the radio and the first remote radio;

extracting the access control burst from the received signal using spatial processing;

extracting the traffic burst from the received signal using spatial processing; and

transmitting an access assignment burst from the radio to the first remote radio in response to the received random access burst, wherein the access assignment burst comprises a grant of the requested establishment of the logical connection between the radio and the first remote radio.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the access assignment burst includes timeslot and carrier assignment for the granted logical connection.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the timeslot and carrier assignment is different from a timeslot and carrier used for transmitting the access assignment burst.

4. A communications device comprising:

an array of antenna elements to receive signals;

a receiver coupled to the array of antenna elements to receive a signal in a timeslot on a carrier from the plurality of antenna elements, the signal including an access control burst from a first remote radio and a traffic burst from a second remote radio, the traffic burst being part of an existing logical connection between the communications device and the second remote radio, wherein the access control burst comprises a random access burst, the random access burst being a request to establish the logical connection between the radio and the first remote radio;

a processor coupled to the receiver to extract the access control burst and the traffic burst from the received signal using spatial processing; and

a transmitter coupled to the processor to transmit an access assignment burst to the first remote radio in response to the received random access burst using the array of antenna elements, wherein the access assignment burst comprises a grant of the requested establishment of the logical connection between the communications device and the first remote radio.

5. The communications device of claim 4, wherein the access assignment burst includes timeslot and carrier assignment for the granted logical connection.

6. The communications device of claim 5, wherein the timeslot and carrier assignment is different from a timeslot and carrier used for transmitting the access assignment burst.

7. A method comprising:

receiving an access control burst at a radio from a first remote radio on a communications channel, wherein the access control burst is related to establishing a logical connection between the radio and the first remote radio;

receiving a traffic burst from a second remote radio on the same communications channel overlapping in time with the access control burst, the received traffic burst being part of an existing logical connection between the second remote radio and the radio;

decoding the received access control burst; and

decoding the received traffic burst.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the access control burst comprises a random access burst, the random access burst being a request to establish the logical connection between the radio and the first remote radio.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising transmitting an access assignment burst in response to the received random access burst from the radio to the first remote radio.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the access assignment burst comprises a grant of the requested establishment of the logical connection between the radio and the first remote radio.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the access control and traffic bursts are received using a plurality of antenna elements in one timeslot of the communications channel.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the plurality of antenna elements comprises an adaptive antenna array, and receiving the access control burst comprises spatially processing each signal received by the elements of the adaptive antenna array to extract the access control burst.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the access control burst is received on a first spatial channel and the traffic burst is received on a second spatial channel.

14. A communications device comprising:

an array of antenna elements to receive signals;

a receiver coupled to the array of antenna elements to receive an access control burst from a first remote radio on a communications channel, wherein the access control burst comprises a random access burst, the random access burst being a request to establish a logical connection between the communications device and the first remote radio, the receiver further to receive a traffic burst from a second remote radio on the same communications channel overlapping in time with the access control burst, the received traffic burst being part of an existing logical connection between the second remote radio and the communications device;

a processor coupled to the receiver to decode the received access control and traffic bursts; and

a transmitter coupled to the processor to transmit an access assignment burst in response to the received random access burst to the first remote radio.

15. The communications device of claim 14, wherein the access assignment burst comprises a grant of the requested establishment of the logical connection between the communications device and the first remote radio.

16. A machine-readable medium encoded with computer executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving an access control burst at a radio from a first remote radio on a communications channel, wherein the access control burst is related to establishing a logical connection between the radio and the first remote radio;

receiving a traffic burst from a second remote radio on the same communications channel overlapping in time with the access control burst, the received traffic burst being part of an existing logical connection between the second remote radio and the radio;

decoding the received access control burst; and

decoding the received traffic burst.

17. The machine-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the access control burst comprises a random access burst, the random access burst being a request to establish the logical connection between the radio and the first remote radio.

18. The machine-readable medium of claim 17, further comprising transmitting an access assignment burst in response to the received random access burst from the radio to the first remote radio.

19. The machine-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the access control and traffic bursts are received using a plurality of antenna elements in one timeslot of the communications channel.

20. The machine-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the plurality of antenna elements comprises an adaptive antenna array, and receiving the access control burst comprises spatially processing each signal received by the elements of the adaptive antenna array to extract the access control burst.

21. The machine-readable medium of claim 20, wherein the access control burst is received on a first spatial channel and the traffic burst is received on a second spatial channel.

22. A method comprising:

receiving a random access (RA) burst containing a random access (RA) message at a base station from a first user terminal on a random access logical channel (RACH), the RA burst being received in a uplink timeslot of a TDMA frame on a physical carrier;

receiving a traffic burst containing a traffic message at the base station from a second user terminal on a traffic logical channel (TCH), the traffic burst being received in the same uplink timeslot of the same TDMA frame on the same physical carrier.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising sending an access assignment (AA) burst containing an access assignment (AA) message from the base station to the first user terminal in response to the received RA burst.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the RA message comprises a request for a TCH data stream to be established between the base station and the first user terminal.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the AA message comprises a grant of the requested TCH data stream to be established between the base station and the first user terminal.

26. The method of claim 22, wherein the received traffic message from the second user terminal belongs to an existing TCH data stream between the base station and the second user terminal.

27. The method of claim 22, wherein the uplink timeslot of the TDMA frame on the physical carrier is part of a conventional communications channel, and the base station receives the RA burst and the traffic burst simultaneously on the conventional communications channel.

28. A base station comprising:

an antenna array to receive signals;

a receiver coupled to the antenna array to receive a random access (RA) burst containing a random access (RA) message from a first user terminal on a random access logical channel (RACH), the RA burst being received in a uplink timeslot of a TDMA frame on a physical carrier, and to receive a traffic burst containing a traffic message from a second user terminal on a traffic logical channel (TCH), the traffic burst being received in the same uplink timeslot of the same TDMA frame on the same physical carrier; and

a processor coupled to the receiver to decode the random access and traffic messages.

29. The base station of claim 28, further comprising a transmitter coupled to the processor to send an access assignment (AA) burst containing an access assignment (AA) message to the first user terminal in response to the received RA burst.

30. The base station of claim 29, wherein the RA message comprises a request for a TCH data stream to be established between the base station and the first user terminal.

31. The base station of claim 30, wherein the AA message comprises a grant of the requested TCH data stream to be established between the base station and the first user terminal.

32. The base station of claim 28, wherein the received traffic message from the second user terminal belongs to an existing TCH data stream between the base station and the second user terminal.

33. The base station of claim 28, wherein the uplink timeslot of the TDMA frame on the physical carrier is part of a conventional communications channel, and the receiver receives the RA burst and the traffic burst simultaneously on the conventional communications channel.

34. A machine-readable medium encoded with computer executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving a random access (RA) burst containing a random access (RA) message at a base station from a first user terminal on a random access logical channel (RACH), the RA burst being received in a uplink timeslot of a TDMA frame on a physical carrier;

receiving a traffic burst containing a traffic message at the base station from a second user terminal on a traffic logical channel (TCH), the traffic burst being received in the same uplink timeslot of the same TDMA frame on the same physical carrier; and

sending an access assignment (AA) burst containing an access assignment (AA) message from the base station to the first user terminal in response to the received RA burst.

35. The machine-readable medium of claim 34, wherein the RA message comprises a request for a TCH data stream to be established between the base station and the first user terminal.

36. The machine-readable medium of claim 35, wherein the AA message comprises a grant of the requested TCH data stream to be established between the base station and the first user terminal.

37. The machine-readable medium of claim 34, wherein the received traffic message from the second user terminal belongs to an existing TCH data stream between the base station and the second user terminal.

38. The machine-readable medium of claim 34, wherein the uplink timeslot of the TDMA frame on the physical carrier is part of a conventional communications channel, and the base station receives the RA burst and the traffic burst simultaneously on the conventional communications channel.